According to his profile, he “spent some of his earlier years as an Atmospheric Physicist at the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh and Extranuclear Laboratories in Blawnox, Pennsylvania.”

The Space Research and Coordination Center was a center for students studying numerous disciplines related to the aerospace field at the University of Pittsburgh. It's possible that Peden's role as a “Atmospheric Physicist” indicates his graduate research at the building.

Background

James A. Peden describes himself as a “former Atmospheric Physicist” at the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh and Extranuclear Laboratories in Blawnox, Pennsylvania.

Peden also owns James A. Peden Web Design and Hosting, where he describes himself as a “Physicist and Mathematician.” He is webmaster and editor of Middlebury Networks and Middlebury Community Network. In an editorial on his website, Peden argues that “the science [is] far from settled” regarding climate change.

Peden's biography at Middlebury Community Network lists him as a retired Atmospheric Physicist at the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh and as having worked with Extranuclear Laboratories in Blawnox, Pennsylvania while “studying ion-molecule reactions in the upper atmosphere.”

Stance on Climate Change

“CO2 is a useful trace gas in the atmosphere, and the planet would actually benefit by having more, not less of it, because it is not a driver for Global Warming and would enrich our vegetation, yielding better crops to feed the expanding population. [2]

Key Quotes

“If we're right, then nature will take its course as it always has, and normal life will go on by adapting to climate change, rather than freaking out over a pending climate catastrophe.” [2]

Key Deeds

June 24, 2008

Peden critiqued RealClimate.org, describing it as a “staged and contracted production, which wasn't created by 'scientists,' it was actually created by Environmental Media Services, a company which specializes in spreading environmental junk science on behalf of numerous clients who stand to financially benefit from scare tactics through environmental fear mongering.” [3]

January 17, 2009 (last updated)

Peden's primary contribution to the skeptical science community is his lengthy editorial titled “The Great Global Warming Hoax.” After local newspapers were reticent to publish the attack on man-made global warming arguments, he decided to publish it himself on his Middlebury Community Network—a site he personally maintains.

During the article which attempts to “teach” a layman the basic science that disproves climate change, Peden also repeatedly attacks Al Gore's lack of credentials in the field.
Peden's views can be summarized as follows:

1. C02 does not contribute to global warming, and we would benefit from having more of it in the atmosphere.
2. We didn't cause global warming and we can't stop it.
3. Solar activity and ocean currents are the main drivers of climate change.
4. The IPCC is corrupt.
5. Listing polar bears as an endangered species was part of a political agenda.

March 4, 2008

Peden signed the Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change. The Declaration was organized by the International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) and presented at the end of the Heartland Institute's 2008 International Conference on Climate Change. [5]

Those who sign the declaration must agree that “human-caused climate change is not a global crisis” and recommend that “That all taxes, regulations, and other interventions intended to reduce emissions of CO2 be abandoned forthwith.”

Peden reproduces the Manhattan Declaration in the appendix of his Editorial Report on Middlebury Networks.

Affiliations

Marc Morano — The Wonk Room found that Peden associated with a group of climate skeptics under the direction of Marc Morano. [6]

Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.